Leonidas Kavakos / Kirill Gerstein

Leonidas Kavakos conducts the Orchestra of the National Academy of Santa Cecilia for the Sixth Symphony by Sergej Prokofiev, the Piano Concerto K 466 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart performed by a piano talent such as Kirill Gerstein and the Etude for Orchestra of strings by Pavel Haas.

The Symphony no. 6 in E flat minor by Prokofiev, composed between 1945 and 1947 and considered one of his most important compositions, is dominated by the sad memory of the war, with a dark and harsh score contrasted with the Fifth Symphony, characterized instead by the triumphalistic tones of victory.

The Piano Concerto K 466 in D minor was composed by Mozart in 1785 and is certainly one of the best known of the Viennese genius, as it marks the moment of definitive break with the previous gallant tradition; the concert, due to its great expressive force and dramatic character, is considered the first pre-romantic composition.

Finally, the Study for string orchestra, composed by Pavel Haas in 1943 during his imprisonment in the Theresienstadt concentration camp, represents one of the most challenging pages written for an orchestral formation.

Photo credits: courtesy of the Auditorium Parco della Musica official site